How Forever Feels (21 page)

“Okay,” Maya muttered over an eye roll. “I'll just leave you two to your mutual fan club meeting and go finish my toast.”

Neither one of them even looked up and for the next little while she puttered around the apartment, moving the sheets into the dryer and finishing her toast as they went back and forth over how to get past the Nygaard patrols in Level 3 and how brutal Griffin's routine had been to get in shape for his last movie.

“You know what would be really cool?” Griffin asked, then plowed ahead without waiting for Jack to say anything. “If you guys could make the games into an app or get it online like
WoW
or
League of Legends
, that way we could play it anywhere, not just when we're at home with our consoles.”

“Yeah, that's a whole different thing,” Jack said. “And right now we can't do anything until I get some of the next one written.”

Griffin leaned over his knees again, his expression intent on everything Jack said. “What's the problem? What d'you need?”

“I need ideas, characters, missions…you name it.”

“Are you going to have new characters in the next one?”

“A couple, yeah.”

Maya couldn't tell who grinned first or who grinned biggest, but suddenly they were both nodding and laughing and guy-handshaking until Griffin's phone interrupted. He scanned the text quickly, stuffed the phone in his pocket, and pushed himself to his feet.

“I gotta go, but I'm totally in, Jack. You just let me know what you need and when you need it, and we'll make it work.”

“Great!” Jack punched Griffin's number into his contact list and laughed, shaking his head the whole time. “Griffin-freakin'-Carr's going to be in my game. Holy shit.”

Maya followed Griffin down the stairs then smiled up at him when he hesitated at the door.

“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

“Sorry.”

He bobbed his head in a shallow nod. “It's him, isn't it? You think he's going to be your fairy tale.”

Is that what she thought? No. Is it what she hoped? Hell yeah.

“We'll see.”

It took him a second but eventually he flashed her one of his runner-up-for-the-sexiest-man-alive smiles.

“There were a couple other women at that ball game last summer,” he teased. “Those other friends of yours…they both seemed unaffected by the whole Hollywood thing, too. Think either of them would consider it?”

“Well, let's see. One's married and the other one's basically living with a cop. What do you think?”

“Damn. And you're sure—?”

“Griffin.”

“Okay.” Lifting both hands, he stepped outside, where a black sedan sat idling. “But if you change your mind…”

“You'll be the first to know.”

With a parting smile, he pulled open the passenger door. “Make sure Jack calls me!”

Maya waved him off then headed back upstairs, where Jack was still shaking his head, still grinning, and still sitting right where they'd left him.

“So,” she said, lowering herself to the cushion beside him. “About last night.”

“I just grabbed a spoon.”

Ross Geller,
Friends,
“The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate”

At first Jack thought she'd meant what they'd done last night, or how many times they'd done it. Or what he'd promised he was going to do to her tonight.

Clearly he was wrong.

“Come on, you can help me make the bed while you tell me.”

“Why make it if we're just going to mess it up again?” He wagged his brow at her, but she just shoved the pillowcases at him. “But later, right?”

“Definitely later.” She laughed. “Now talk. What happened at Genie's?”

Jack didn't want to talk about it, mainly because he still wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it. There was too much anger and too much frustration clouded together to sort out yet, and right smack in the middle of it was Maya, who hadn't done anything wrong yet somehow ended up in the eye of the storm.

And now bent over the corner of the bed, pulling up sheets he'd help mess up last night, her butt right there, right where he could just reach out and…

“Later, Jack.” She didn't even look up when she said it, which just made him grin stupidly.

“Yeah, can we narrow down terms on what ‘later' means?” Moving in behind her, he leaned when she leaned, his body hovering just above hers. She smoothed the sheet a little, then set her hands on top of his and pulled his arms tight around her waist.

“You've been here over an hour, Jack, and you haven't even kissed me yet, so you've got some work to do before we get anywhere near these sheets again.”

“You're right.” He eased her hands up around the back of his neck, made sure they were linked together, then slid his own hands slowly down her arms, muttering quietly when she wiggled her butt back against him.

Her head rolled to the right and Jack was there, kissing his way down the side of her neck while his hands moved to her stomach and inched their way under the hem of her shirt. There, that little shiver of hers, that catch in her breath, the satiny softness of her skin, that's what he needed, that's what fueled him, made him want more, and made him want to give her more.

“Jack.” His name was hardly a breath on her lips, but it slammed him hard, sending him staggering back a half-step, and in that time, she turned in his arms, pushed up on her toes and kissed him, her pretty little mouth sapping him of every ounce of muscle he'd worked so hard to build.

He'd never be knocked down by another fist, but the simple touch of her lips against his and he was useless.

“Is it later now?” he groaned.

Snort-laughing, she dropped back to her heels and shook her head. “Come here.”

With one pillow half-stuffed in a case and the other not at all, she propped them up against the headboard and motioned for him to sit.

“Clothes on,” she said. “For now.”

“What?” Whining, he kicked off his shoes and sat up on the bed with his legs stretched out. “What kind of bullshit is this?”

“Hold your horses, you big baby.” She slipped out of the room and came back a few seconds later with his half-full coffee mug in her hand. “Now tell me what happened at Genie's last night.”

“Come on, Snip.” He went to reach for her again, but she scooted to the other side of the bed, where she sat cross-legged, waiting for him to start.

“It's important, Jack. Something happened, and I'm guessing it wasn't good, which is why you came back here to me last night.”

And she'd let him in even though he'd left her hanging a few hours earlier. Just like how she'd let him back in to her life after he'd left her hanging for two years.

He didn't deserve her, but God almighty he loved her. Always had. And now that he had her, he'd do anything to keep her…which was why he didn't tell her everything.

“Oh my God.”

He'd lost track of how many times she'd muttered that as he'd gone over what Genie had told him, but her expression went from shock to anger to sadness a few times before he was done.

Her fingers rested lightly on Jack's knee when she finally shook her head. “I had no idea Burt had been through anything like that.”

“No one did. Will and Tammy still don't.”

“Why?” She squinted through her question as if that would make the puzzle easier to understand. “Why keep it a secret?”

“I don't know, but he must've had his reasons.”

“And if Genie was so grateful to you for helping him turn that corner, why would she say such an awful thing about you at the rehearsal dinner?”

“She'd had too much to drink,” Jack said, staring down at his hands twisting in his lap. “She didn't mean it.”

Maya scooted closer to him and took his hands in hers. “I'm so sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” He spread his hands wide and smiled down when she pressed hers against his, palm to palm. “You didn't do anything.”

“Maybe not, but I know how much you love Genie, so it couldn't have been easy hearing all that from her.”

Her hair fell forward when she looked down, so Jack eased it back over her shoulder.

“What are we doing to do?” she asked.

“We?”

“Well, yeah, I sort of thought we were a ‘we' now. Aren't we?”

“God I hope so,” he breathed.

“Okay, then. Do we do what she asked and wait until after the wedding to tell Will?”

“I don't know.” Tugging her hand gently, he pulled her up and over his legs so she straddled his thighs. “Can we just
not
talk about him right now?”

“Gladly.” Her slow, warm smile shot straight through his heart, took a sharp turn and headed south, the results of which were not lost on her when she shimmied her little ass farther up his legs and let out one of her snort-laughs.

“Well…relatively speaking, it
is
later than it was.”

“Thank God,” he groaned. “I hope you don't have plans for the rest of the day.”

Before she could give any kind of answer, he scooped her up, squeals and all, and tossed her on the bed. With a quick hop toward the door, he shrugged down at Pete, who was lying just on the other side, whining, as Jack slid the door closed.

“Sorry buddy.”

No wool socks this time. No gumboots or nightshirt big enough to house a three-ring circus. But looking at the buttons and buckles awaiting him now, he almost wished she was in the same get-up as last night. This was going to take some work.

First thing that needed to go was that scarf—what was it with chicks and scarves, anyway? Took him a second to figure out how she'd twisted it, but once that was gone, he could begin unbuttoning the sweater. Starting at the bottom, he worked his way up slowly, silently thanking the brilliant designer who set the buttons at an angle, which meant the last two sat right over the top of her breast.

“What's the matter?” she smirked. “Suddenly forget how buttons work?”

“Just don't want to snag anything.”

“Yeah, that's very thoughtful.” With a quick flick, she shoved his hands away and released the last button herself. “Girlie parts feeling neglected Jack.”

“Well, shit.” He laughed. “We can't have that.”

He made short work of his own clothes then…damn she was fast!
And naked
. Completely buck-ass naked standing in the middle of the bed.

Sure, he'd spent most of last night wrapped around her, but it was like he was seeing her again for the first time.

“Hoyumahaa.”

Laughing at his stupidness, she went to reach for him but he ducked, caught her by the ankles, and tipped her onto her back. Instead of lying back and getting ready to enjoy herself, she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his face down close to hers.

“We need to make this first one quick, Jack, or I swear to God—”

He'd never moved so fast in his life, but even a quickie with her turned into something more, and when she came apart under him, he waited until she was right there again before he let himself fall with her. And while she recovered, he reacquainted himself with his favorite parts of her.

He'd covered every inch of her last night, more than once, but today was a whole new day and he had big plans for how they were going to spend it.

“Move,” she grunted over a choked laugh. “I can't breathe.”

“Then we're both going to have to die right here.” He'd collapsed on top of her God only knew how long ago and had yet to muster the strength to move again.

“On three, ready?” She curled her legs around him, set both hands on his right shoulder, and didn't even bother counting. “Three!”

With as much of a shove as she could get from her squished position, she pushed and pushed until he finally moaned and rolled over onto his back, grabbing for her as he did. He didn't have to reach far, because she was already scrambling to get on top of him.

In all the time they'd spent in that bed since last night, she'd never curled up beside him, choosing instead to stretch out right on top of him with her face tucked up against his neck, and that was perfectly okay with Jack. In fact, he couldn't imagine it getting any better than that.

Groping blindly around them, he finally caught hold of one of her blankets and pulled it up as she wiggled down against him.

“Mmmm,” she breathed. “I'm gonna need a minute.”

She could take as many minutes as she wanted; he wasn't going anywhere.

Jack came to gradually, his senses picking up on things that made him smile even before he opened his eyes. Like the warm scent of her perfume, the way her breath butterflied against his neck, and the feel of her naked body stretched out so silky soft on top of him.

Nothing he'd imagined in the last four years felt anywhere close to as good as this.

“You awake?” she asked, her lips brushing against his neck.

“Hmm.”

She didn't say anything for a while after that, and Jack didn't move in case she'd fallen back to sleep. She hadn't.

“What's the matter?”

“Nothing.” He smoothed his hand up her back as if that would convince her. It didn't.

“Jack.” She'd barely moved, face tucked up against him, her fingers swirling circles over his chest. “What's the matter?”

He propped his free arm behind his head so he could see a little more of her. “We're a ‘we,' that's what you said.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“So maybe
we
should talk about what the deal is between you and movie-dude?” She'd told him things were complicated, but they didn't seem that way to him. From what he saw, she and Griffin seemed perfectly comfortable with each other.

“Right, I was going to tell you when you came back this morning,” she said, wiggling down so she could rest her chin on her hand. “But then he showed up.”

“Okay.” He tried not to make that sound like a question, but it sort of came out that way anyway.

“Before I tell you, though, I want you to know that nothing has ever happened between Griffin and me. We've had dinner a couple times, and talked a lot over the phone, but that's it. He's never so much as hugged me.”

“Jeezus, Snip,
what
?”

“It's nothing, well it was, but it's not now.” She pushed up on her arms so her elbows dug into his stomach a little as she levered herself up. “After Will, I didn't go out much, and even when I did, I couldn't…I don't know…it was hard. I mean, seriously, I went into that marriage so sure it was forever and then
wham
!”

He started to speak, but she pressed her fingers against his mouth.

“I didn't just lose my marriage, I lost the family I'd wanted, and I was so mad—not just at him, but at myself, too. In hindsight, I'm really happy Will and I didn't have kids together, but it's hard to reconcile that with the fact that I was suddenly on my own, doubting every decision I made, and knowing the chances of me ever having a family were slipping further and further away.”

“Maya.”

“Just listen. When I first met Griffin I didn't much like him, but then he kept calling me and we got to know each other. Turns out he really is a great guy.”

Jack stiffened, and not in a good way.

“Relax,” she snorted. “It wasn't like that for either of us. You met him. He's fun, right? And did you see the way he looked when he mentioned his nephew?”

Jack didn't smile back at her.

“He's a little cocky, sure, but he's Griffin-freakin'-Carr, so what do you expect, right?” She inhaled slowly, as though trying to steady herself, then nodded. “Okay, so last month, the night before you arrived, actually, he called and said he had something important to ask me.”

Jack closed his eyes and clamped his jaw shut tight.

“Not that,” Maya said. “Neither one of us feels that way about the other.”

“Then what?”

“Well. The thing is…he asked me if I'd, um…” She looked down for a second, then shook her hair back a little and brought her gaze back to his. “He asked if I'd consider having a baby with him.”

“He
what
?” Jack sat up so fast, he knocked her over and had to scramble to right her again, only this time she wasn't on top of him, she was beside him, and he hated that. And he hated it more when she dug around for his shirt and pulled it over her head.

Then again…she looked awfully damn cute in it.

“It shocked the hell out of me, too,” she said, tugging her hair free from the collar. “And he made it perfectly clear we wouldn't be married or anything like that, just two people having a baby together. We'd share custody and he'd give me all kinds of financial support.”

Jack let his head roll forward until he stared straight down at the sheet and then didn't move. He couldn't. Her words were a lead blanket that she'd thrown over him. Was she pregnant? No, she said Griffin had never touched her…but that didn't mean anything. There were all sorts of ways, all sorts of treatments, all sorts of clinics…
Shit
.